Small-Scale Cotton Farming Can Create Prosperity

The remote community of Khombaso in Mpumalanga has placed all its hope in developing a cotton industry to lift the town out of poverty and prevent further urbanisation of its residents. Lindi Botha spoke to Cotton SA about making small-scale cotton farming viable.

- Lindi Botha

A hot climate and summer rainfall limit the farming activities that can take place in the area surrounding the Mpumalanga town of Khombaso. In addition, the nearest large city is far away, creating challenges for anyone wanting to set up a commercial venture. These factors leave the residents with little opportunity to earn an income.

“Cotton is our only option,” says Petros Sithole, chairperson of the Nkomazi Cotton Co-operative, which consists of 45 small co-ops in the area. “We don’t have water rights and the high temperatures mean that no other crops can survive here on the 650mm of summer rainfall a year we receive.”

The co-op consists of 782 families cultivating 3 000ha and has, up until now, been functioning with limited success as it has faced many problems, including difficulty in accessing finance, inputs, training and land.

BACKGROUND

Historically, these families had always lived on this land. With the formation of the Nkomazi cotton co-op, the government introduced a formal subsidised system. The land was divided into 1ha plots, each allocated to a family, and a service centre was established to provide inputs and tractors. Each family paid for the services it required at a subsidised rate.

In 1994, the service centre (with its subsidised goods) ceased operating. Residents were allowed to keep and live on their 1ha plots, but were given no title deeds. The farmers simply had to continue as best they could.

The co-op later managed to obtain some funding from government, but without any training the farmers struggled with low yield and profit.